This year, I planted mint in my garden. I didn't know it would grow so easily and so quickly! I wanted to find some new dishes that used mint. This sounded like an interesting recipe, so I made it my own. It ended up being a very fresh, summer meal!
Lemon Mint Chicken
2 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1 1/2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup flour (I seasoned the flour with salt, pepper, and a little paprika and red pepper...it gave it a nice bite)
1/3 cup margarine
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
Combine the chicken pieces, garlic, and onion. Toss with flour and other seasonings. Allow to sit 5 minutes. Melt margarine in skillet over medium high heat. Shake the excess flour from the chicken and add the chicken to the skillet. Cook until golden brown (about 5-7 minutes). Add the lemon juice and mint, reduce heat to medium, cover and steam about 5 minutes. Do not overcook the chicken. Serve over pasta or rice (I used a butter and herb pasta, it turned out to be really good!)
Like I've said before, I'm not a huge fan of seafood, although I do like fish. So, I'm trying to find some different ways to cook fish. I found this recipe online and only tweaked it a little. It makes a great sauce that could be used on many different things...we may try it on steak next week! It is also a VERY quick meal!
Tilapia Parmesan
tilapia filets, 1 pound
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (I used a Parmesan/Romano shredded mix)
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 tbsp mayonnaise (I used fat-free!)
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp garlic salt
Preheat your oven's broiler on high. Grease a broiling pan or line a pan with foil. In the meantime, mix Parmesan, butter, mayonnaise, and lemon juice together. Season with basil, pepper, onion powder, and garlic salt. Arrange filets in a single layer on pan, broil on top rack for 2-3 minutes. Turn fish over, broil 2 more minutes. Remove fish from oven, spread Parmesan mixture over fish. Broil 2-3 more minutes or until cheese mixture is melted. Be sure not to overcook the fish.
This is a great recipe that I found online and adapted to make my own! It is a great, easy main dish!
Foil-Pack Artichoke Chicken
1 1/2 c rice
1 1/2 c water
2 chicken breasts, trimmed
1 small jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
1 can diced Italian tomatoes, drained
1/4 c Italian dressing (I used Kraft Roasted Red Pepper Italian...delicious!)
1/8 c pesto
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix rice and water in bowl, spoon into center of foil rectangle. Place 1 chicken breast on top of rice, top with half of the artichokes and tomatoes. Mix dressing and pesto in small bowl, drizzle half over chicken. Bring up the sides of the foil. Double fold the top and sides to seal in moisture. Be sure to leave enough room for air to circulate. Repeat with second chicken breast. Bake 35 minutes in baking dish, allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with salad.
